Latest news with #DanielRosenberg
Fox News
19-05-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Simple dietary change could lower your risk of colon cancer, study says
Walnuts may lower your risk of colon cancer and reduce overall inflammation in the body, according to a study recently published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research. "The study shows that a simple and inexpensive dietary addition can provide health benefits to the colon without any downside risks," study author Daniel Rosenberg told Fox News Digital. Roseberg is the director of the colon cancer prevention program at the Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center in Connecticut. Researchers from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine said walnuts contain phytochemicals called ellagitannins, which are metabolized by the gut bacteria and converted into potent anti-inflammatory compounds known as urolithins. High levels of urolithin A, formed by gut bacteria after walnut consumption, may positively affect immune cells in colon polyps and be linked with an overall reduction of inflammatory markers in urine, blood and fecal samples, according to the study. "The effects are seen both in the colon, as well as in the blood," Rosenberg said. "The latter indicates the effects are systemic and not only limited to providing gut health." The study involved 39 participants between the ages of 40 and 60, considered to be at high risk for colon cancer. The participants avoided ellagitannin-containing foods and beverages for a week to get their bodies' urolithin levels close to zero. They were then closely monitored while following a diet that involved consuming walnuts, which are rich in ellagitannins, according to a UConn news release. After the three-week study, the participants underwent a high-definition colonoscopy. Researchers then looked at tissue from polyps removed during the procedure. They found a direct association between patients with high levels of urolithin A formation — from gut biodome after consuming walnuts — with reduced levels of common proteins found in polyps. This included the protein vimentin, which is associated with more advanced forms of colon cancer, according to the report. Rosenberg told Fox News Digital that walnut ingestion "affects some of the inflammatory proteins that are surrounding a patient's polyps, potentially adding additional health benefit." Reduced inflammatory markers were found in the urine and fecal samples of the participants who followed the walnut-consuming diet. The study also found urolithin A-levels in participants' urine correlated with a boost in serum levels of a protein associated with colorectal cancer inhibition known as peptide YY, according to the report. Rosenberg said his team found walnut supplementation reduced the levels of several markers of inflammation in the participants' blood, especially in individuals who had an elevated BMI in excess of 30. "The study shows that a simple and inexpensive dietary addition can provide health benefits to the colon without any downside risks." "We believe that many of the effects we have observed with respect to inflammation are directly related to a patient's ability to form urolithins," Rosenberg told Fox News Digital. "However, this ability is widely variable in human subjects. Some people can do this very well, whereas others lack this capacity." Rosenberg told Fox News Digital that his team's long-term goal is to "figure out what microbes are responsible for this metabolic activity so that we can create probiotics that people can consume that will afford them the capacity to generate urolithins in their gut." To reap the health benefits, Rosenberg suggested eating about five to 10 walnuts per day. Laura Feldman, a registered dietitian and assistant professor of nutrition at Long Island University in New York, was not affiliated with the study but told Fox News Digital that walnuts "are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids." These acids "are anti-inflammatory and, generally, Americans are not getting enough of them," she said. For more Lifestyle articles, visit Feldman also noted that walnuts are rich in fiber, which is "another nutrient Americans are lacking." "Adequate fiber intake is associated with decreased risk of colorectal cancers." Although walnuts are a healthy snack, Feldman said they are considered a high-calorie food — so consumers should be mindful of portion sizes, "typically sticking to about a handful at a time throughout the day."
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Eating a handful of walnuts every day 'reduces risk of bowel cancer'
Eating a handful of walnuts every day can 'reduce the risk of bowel cancer', according to new research. The edible seeds of walnut trees are said to provide 'long-term' health benefits, and can also curb inflammation, say American scientists. The findings come from a University of Connecticut School of Medicine clinical trial, published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research. Study leader Professor Daniel Rosenberg explained that ellagitannins, plant-derived polyphenol compounds found in walnuts, are shown to be metabolised exclusively by the gut microbiome into a range of anti-inflammatory molecules called urolithins. READ MORE: Reducing intake of one beverage can lower dementia risk - and it's not coffee READ MORE: Sunbed addict, 21, was told he could have 'a year to live' Prof Rosenberg says those urolithins are associated with "very potent" anti-inflammatory properties and may even prevent cancer. 'Ellagitannins in the walnut are importantly providing the anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties that we're seeing in patients in our clinical trial research, particularly the gut's conversion of ellagitannins to a potent anti-inflammatory agent, urolithin A," the scientist explained. Prof Rosenberg has studied walnuts for more than a decade and has researched the connection between walnut consumption and its anti-inflammatory purposes. The findings of the clinical trial show that high levels of urolithin A formation by the gut microbiome from walnut consumption has a "positive" impact on reducing inflammatory markers across blood, urine, and faecal samples, and may even positively affect the immune cells within colon polyps. The clinical trial involved patients between the ages of 40 and 65 and those at an elevated risk of bowel cancer, also known as colon cancer. Each of the 39 participants were asked to avoid all ellagitannin-containing foods and drinks for a week to set their urolithin levels at or close to zero before they began consuming ellagitannin-rich walnuts as part of their closely monitored diet. At the end of the three-week study, all participants underwent a high-definition colonoscopy . The research team found that elevated urolithin A levels in the urine of patients correlated with the serum levels of peptide YY, an interesting protein that has been associated with inhibition of bowel cancer. Reduced levels of several inflammation markers present in the blood were also found, especially in obese patients that had the greatest capacity to form urolithins by their gut microbiome. Prof Rosenberg also used high-dimensional spatial imaging technology that allowed the research team to develop a detailed view of the direct cellular interactions present inside colon polyps that were removed during colonoscopy at the end of the walnut study. The cutting-edge advanced imaging technology revealed that patients with high levels of urolithin A formation following walnut consumption was "directly associated" with reduced levels of several important proteins that are often present in polyps, showing for the first time how eating walnuts may directly improve bowel health. The research team also discovered that the protein vimentin - often associated with more advanced forms of colon cancer - was greatly reduced inside polyp tissues obtained from patients who had also formed the highest levels of urolithin A by their gut microbiome. The findings build on earlier work by Dr Masako Nakanishi, an Assistant Professor in Prof Rosenberg's lab, who showed in several earlier publications that walnuts had beneficial and anti-cancer effects in the colons of cancer-prone mice.
